Closing the week 45 – Featuring Theo van Gogh
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- Hongerige wolven – Wilders, PVV en extreem-rechts
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- Islamizing Europe – Muslim Demographics
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Featuring Theo van Gogh (selection in Dutch, see below)
I CARE – News – Internet Centre Anti Racism Europe
Five years ago today Dutch filmmaker and columnist Theo van Gogh was murdered in Amsterdam by a fanatical Muslim who was infuriated by Van Gogh’s anti-Islam insults. The killing has been compared with the terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid and London and it boosted already high ethnic tensions. The anniversary of the attack prompted foreign journalists to check on the multicultural tensions and Muslim radicalisation in the Dutch capital. The Netherlands’ immigration issues have remained high on the agenda, fuelled by populist politician Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV). But no attacks, home grown or from outside, have taken place since November 2, 2004. That was the morning Mohammed B. followed Theo van Gogh on his bicycle before he shot him eight times with a handgun. The 47-year-old filmmaker fell to the ground, where his assassin slit his throat and pinned a note to his body with a knife. The note was a death threat to Ayaan Hirsi Ali with whom Van Gogh had made the short film Submission, about the abuse of women under Islam, and called for jihad. B., son of Moroccan immigrants, was born and raised in Amsterdam. “The turnaround in his behaviour happened in this building”, Achmed Marcouch told reporters on a tour of the Amsterdam immigrant neighbourhood Slotervaart last week. Marcouch has been Slotervaart’s borough chairman since 2006 and the building he showed the journalists was the community centre Eigenwijks, where B. was a volunteer. He is now serving a life sentence for the murder.
The image of being an open, tolerant society where one could say anything was shattered and Dutch society changed in a fundamental way. Van Gogh was of rude, coarse and – according to many – offensive but his murder was an abhorrent act that can never be justified. The murder also had far-reaching consequences, many analysts believe that Geert Wilders and his far-right Freedom Party wouldn’t be nearly so popular if van Gogh hadn’t been slaughtered.
The general trend in the Netherlands is that”After van Gogh, people are scared to say anything controversial”. Ton Folkertsma, who watched as Mohammed Bouyeri butchered the filmmaker, tells a Dutch paper that his life hasn’t been the same since the murder and that the country has changed, “things are going badly in the Netherlands, things can’t continue as they are. Maybe I’ll be murdered tomorrow, or maybe it will be you”.
Dutchblog Israel: 14/5 years later
Two men, totally different. Their murderers have a lot in common, much more than these two men ever shared. Both the murderers are religious fanatics, one Jewish, the other Muslim. In more than one way, both murderers reached their goal(s). To me it seems that the supporters of both murderers are today stronger than they were when Rabin, resp. Van Gogh were murdered. Yesterday it was five years ago that Van Gogh died in Amsterdam. Tomorrow fourteen years will have passed since Rabin died in Tel Aviv.
nrc.nl – International – Immigrant tensions remain five years after Van Gogh killing
Immigrant tensions remain five years after Van Gogh killing
Published: 2 November 2009 15:03 | Changed: 3 November 2009 10:03
No Islamic terrorist attacks have taken place in the Netherlands since the murder of Theo van Gogh.
The silencing of Theo van Gogh – Salon.com
“I’ll do my best to seriously insult quite a few people.”
Five Years Later: The Death of Dutch Filmmaker Theo Van Gogh :: Culture :: News :: Paste
The cultural fallout of van Gogh’s death in Holland has been compared to the ramifications of 9/11 in the U.S. Several Dutch mosques were burned in retaliation and the government passed laws that all people must carry I.D. It instituted citizen tests for resident aliens, enforced language tests for prospective immigrants, and authorized police to stop people on the street who appeared suspicious.
CBC News – Film – Dutch mark Theo van Gogh killing 5 years on
Documentary films, special reports and a memorial tribute to Theo van Gogh are among the activities taking place in the Netherlands on Monday, five years after the filmmaker was slain by a religious extremist.
Van Gogh, who was an outspoken critic of radical Islam and a descendant of the famed painter, is being remembered by politicians, family, friends and fans as the country reflects on how his violent death in Amsterdam in 2004 changed the nation.
Hate Speech is Not Free Speech, Mr. Wilders and Mr. Horowitz « Muslim Reverie
The fact that you asked me whether or not I condemn the death threats or murder of Theo Van Gogh is insulting and reveals the kind of stereotypes you have about Muslims in general. Explore my blog and you should be able to figure out what I think. How many times do people ask YOU to condemn crimes that you weren’t responsible for? What about Timothy McVeigh’s bombing of Oklahoma City?
Eyerman (Ron), The Assassination of Theo Van Gogh. From Social Drama to Cultural Trauma
A murder like this calls for a meticulous examination of its political and socio-cultural context, which Eyerman provides, along with an analysis of the trauma that the event supposedly caused among the population. The book contains a number of interesting observations. The author presents details about the killer’s biography, for example, that at least this reviewer had not read in the regular press. He makes a thoughtful comparison between Bouyeri and Hirsi Ali as two opposed models of integration. The first had six years of higher education, was active in affairs of his community, then felt he could get no further and embraced a radical faith that put him in opposition to the established majority. The second dropped her faith, was a student likewise and became a successful politician and spokesperson for women’s rights. The author amply discusses whether Hirsi Ali was the killer’s «real target» or Van Gogh along with her. He speculates that Bouyeri had obtained official authorization from a clergyman to «execute» Van Gogh, even though the latter had never been a Muslim. This would include Europe into the geographic area where extremists feel legitimated in killing prominent opponents. A detail that was also unknown to me concerns the video that serves to acquaint newly arrived immigrants with Dutch society. It appears to be available in a full version and a censored one with images of nude breasts and men kissing left out.
3On the other hand, the book contains several mistakes.[…] it is intriguing that Eyerman fails to mention Van Gogh’s words, in writing and meant comically, «what a smell of caramel here; today they burn only the diabetic Jews.» This phrase was cited over and again in the press to underline that, although a murder in order to curb the free word was utterly wrong, Van Gogh was not OK either. In fact, Eyerman quickly passes over Van Gogh’s anti-Semitism, because in the book’s social drama story the Dutch Muslims, in need of protection as a group, have replaced the Jews of the German occupation.
Column: The Dutch Islam debate since Theo van Gogh | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
On an autumn day in 2004, an event occurred on an Amsterdam street corner that came to symbolise a clash between two ideologies. An artist, the ultimate symbol of the Western concept of freedom of expression, was murdered by a Muslim fundamentalist, a believer in the absolute and singular truth of Allah.
Amsterdam grapples with integration since filmmaker’s murder | France 24
Five years after Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered by a Muslim extremist in Amsterdam, where half the population is of immigrant origin, the city is grappling with social integration.
“It was as if, before Van Gogh, they had never seen a Muslim in the Netherlands,” Ahmed Marcouch, the Moroccan-origin mayor of Amsterdam suburb Slotervaart, told a recent press event.
“From one day to the next, they realised that Muslims existed and that something had to be done — there was much panic.”
I wrote the following article two years ago but want to share it again with you to remember these two great men.
Theo van Gogh and Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Published on March 30, 2007I had a dream … last night (or was it the day before?) …
After Pim Fortuyn was murdered, on May 6 2002, focus should be changed.
Theo van Gogh decided to make a movie (0605) about the assassination of Fortuyn.
This movie would connect the Dutch secret service to this murder.
About the same time Hirsi Ali was introduced October 2002 out of the blue by Neelie (Smit) Kroes into Dutch right wing political party VVD. Kroes is a protege of the elite in the Netherlands. When newspaper De Volkskrant wanted to print an article about her (financial) connections to a criminal, the paper did not appear that day because of a software error.
The idea was to criminalize the new enemy, i.e. the muslim population. So Theo had to be killed by a muslim.
A Syrian, Abu Khaled, appeared and seemed to be an inspiring figure for van Gogh murderer Mohammed B. and his friends. Abu Khaled was suspected of everything but could move without problems throughout Europe.
To make things more likely Hirshi Ali wanted to make a controversial movie about muslim women.
Of course Theo liked to do that with her, it was controversial!
So they did Submission, a 10 minute film, released on August 29, 2004.
During the post-production of Theo’s movie 0605 about the Pim Fortuyn murder, Mohammed B. murdered Theo on November 2, 2004 leaving a letter for Hirshi Ali on the body of Theo.
DailyAtheist.net » Theo van Gogh, Filmmaker: Assassinated Nov 2, 2004
Monday, Nov 2 is the anniversary of the brutal assassination of Theo van Gogh, controversial filmmaker and director of the short film Submission which dealt with the topic of violence against women in some Islamic societies. To honor his courage I would ask that everyone interested in free speech, reason and freedom from religion tweet “RIP #TheoVanGogh“ at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time to get on Trending Topics as well as throughout the day.
Theo van Gogh: trailblazer for Wilders | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
On 2 November 2004 Mohammed Bouyeri gunned down Dutch film director, writer and opinion maker Theo van Gogh in broad daylight. In the years leading up to his murder, now five years ago, Van Gogh had been a scathing critic of what he liked to refer to as “fascist” Islam.
The debate on the influence of Islam on Dutch society has continued to rage ever since, with right-wing politician Geert Wilders now taking central stage. What role would Theo van Gogh have played in the current debate? And is his murder the reason that Geert Wilders has attracted such a following in the Netherlands?
Misc.
Europe has a religious symbol crisis, too « Erkan’s Field Diary
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Italian schools should remove crucifixes from classroom walls, saying their presence could disturb children who were not Christians.The decision is likely to provoke a controversy in Italy, which is deeply attached to its Roman Catholic roots.
One of the things that makes human language different from other forms of communication is the ability to communicate about things that are not currently present, including things we expect or hope will happen in the future, things that have happened in the past, and things that are contrary to fact. In a way, it is this ability to (to paraphrase Gervais’s character in The Invention of Lying) ‘say things that aren’t’ that makes humans human.
Dating and the facebook | Democracy in America | Economist.com
in reality, the late 1950s and early 1960s were marked by immense technological changes (pop music, adolescent car ownership, the Pill) that revolutionised pre-marital sexual relations.
If I had to respond to Mr Brooks’s point, I would start by noting that the facebook had a profound influence on my dating life. Not Facebook, but the facebook—the annual book Harvard used to put out showing every undergraduate’s picture, name, and (if I recall correctly) residential house and city of origin. (Facebook started out as an online version of the facebook.) Back when I was in college, if we caught sight of an attractive prospect of the opposite sex (perhaps whilst attending a fiery anti-British speech by Sam Adams, or a witch-burning), we would look her up in the facebook, avoiding the potentially embarrassing prospect of having to approach her, say something friendly and amusing, and ask her name. Finding her photo in the facebook necessitated a lot of page-turning and picture-gazing, which in turn led to the discovery of other possibly attractive women and was a pleasant way to while away the time. Having finally discovered her background information, we could then keep an ear open for other information about her and figure out how to approach her. This was pretty much exactly the same as what studies show current males spend most of their time on Facebook doing, and it was every bit as creepy. So I assume the existence of a Male Creepiness Constant until experimental evidence proves otherwise.
ASA Globalog :: Wall Street Bonuses: Culture, Identity, and Crisis
I would argue that the fundamental point for examining bonuses is not their irony, strangeness, indexing of out-of-touch privilege, or conspicuous compensation. Rather, in the spirit of bringing anthropological tools to bear on financial analyses, it is important to read Wall Street’s bonus and compensation culture as perhaps the central cultural distillation of the key contradictions and unequal effects of a finance-capital-dominated social economy. To a certain extent, bonuses embody the restructuring of American economic practices and large institutions according to financial values that often mine the productive assets of corporations. And, precisely because Wall Street’s key ethos is often expressed vis a vis bonuses, these compensation schemes can also serve as a culturally useful predictor, indicator, or sign of impending crises.
SOCIALIST UNITY » THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN HOMOPHOBIA AND ISLAMOPHOBIA
Thus ‘Islamophobia’ is now an official of western power, uniting capitalists and workers, in both foreign wars and domestic racism. It is also the most serious contemporary threat to the socialist project of creating a united working class resistance of all races and religions.
Yet this racism is veiled in the language of enlightenment liberalism and secularism. The rightwing thugs of the English Defence League can claim that ‘Islam is not a race’ and that they are not being racist, they are merely standing up for secular humanism. This claim was also made on the Green Left discussion list by my fellow gay rights activists.
The demo that wasn’t | Inayat Bunglawala | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
The cancellation of the so-called “March for Sharia” which was to have been held last Saturday by Islam4UK (al-Muhajiroun’s latest incarnation) should be viewed as a clear victory for all those who were fed up with the group’s inflammatory antics.
US clinic denies Muslim doctor right to wear hijab
A medical clinic in Dallas, Texas has sparked controversy after saying a Muslim doctor applying for a job cannot wear her headscarf if hired.
Dr. Hena Zaki of Plano, Texas said Friday that she was shocked to find a no-hat policy at the CareNow clinic extended to her hijab.
Italy Convicts 23 Americans for C.I.A. Renditions – NYTimes.com
In a landmark ruling, an Italian judge on Wednesday convicted a base chief for the Central Intelligence Agency and 22 other Americans, almost all C.I.A. operatives, of kidnapping a Muslim cleric from the streets of Milan in 2003.
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Times Topics: Extraordinary RenditionThe case was a huge symbolic victory for Italian prosecutors, who drew the first convictions involving the American practice of rendition, in which terrorism suspects are captured in one country and taken for questioning in another, often one more open to coercive interrogation techniques.
They Are Not Alone: A Worldwide Webinar and Fundraiser | MuslimMatters.org
All last week, we have been discussing cases of the highest kind of injustice against Muslim individuals. While Dr. Maher Arar is out and fighting for justice, several other prisoners are depending on the Muslim community to obtain justice for them. The question was brought up quite a few times as to what we can do for these individuals. Well, here is an opportunity. One of these excellent initiatives is the Muslim Justice Initiative. Time to put our money where our mouth is and support these initiatives that seek to bring justice about. And as we saw with the Canadian government’s apology and award to Dr. Arar, Muslims can use the legal system to demand their civil rights.
The many gods of Ilford | Abhinav Ramnarayan | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk
With its 13,000 gods (and counting) scattered all around India, Hinduism has traditionally had more than its share of warring factions. Accounts of disagreements between devotees of Shiva and Vishnu, the two major gods, go back to 2nd century AD. And contrary to some claims, the caste system is alive and kicking, as is the north-south divide, and naturally these are reflected in places of worship.
But the temple I saw in London had them all (so it seemed) side by side to pick from, and pray to. Some of the deities are so lined up so choc-a-bloc that you could pray to one god, and then shift your bum slightly and pray to a second.
Pickled Politics » Double standards over Fort Hood attack
This Washington Independent blog post highlights the hypocrisy of the American right. To recap: a deranged lone gunman at a US military base, who happened to be a soldier there and a Muslim, shot several army soldiers and wounded others. Apparently, before he started shooting he shouted ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ (God is great). But there is no proof that he was influenced by al-Qaeda or any other terrorist groups.
Dutch
Islamisme in Marokko
Schotelantennes en culturele zelfmoord
Danseres Fatima El Houaria strijdt voor het behoud van de traditionele dans Houaria de Taroudant. De oude Berbercultuur is aan het verdwijnen.
Copyright: Daan Bauwens28 oktober 2009 (MO) – De Marokkaanse overheid onderneemt nieuwe stappen om het islamisme in te dijken. Volgens analisten een maat voor niets, want de radicalisering heeft nieuwe, onzichtbare wegen gevonden om Marokkaanse huiskamers binnen te sluipen. MO* glipte mee naar binnen en kwam terug met een verhaal over televisie-imams, Arabische mondialisering en de leegroof van het land.
Zou Theo van Gogh nu op Geert Wilders stemmen? | Radio Netherlands Worldwide
Op 2 november 2004 werd filmmaker Theo van Gogh in Amsterdam door Mohammed B. vermoord. Van Gogh wist met zijn uitspraken de woede van moslims op de hals te halen. Die rol lijkt overgenomen te zijn door de PVV-politicus Geert Wilders. Maar zijn de twee eigenlijk wel te vergelijken? De Wereldomroep stelde vier vragen aan een vriend, een opponent en een socioloog.
5 Jaar na de moord op Theo van Gogh zendt Het Gesprek 24 uur lang afleveringen uit van Theo’s interviewprogramma “Gogh’s Zondag”, afgewisseld met reacties van mensen die Theo van Gogh goed hebben gekend onder wie Joost Zwagerman, Job Cohen, Geert Wilders, Huub Stapel, Eddy Terstall, Yvonne Kroonenberg, Theodor Holman, Doesjka van Hoogdalem en Bert van der Veer.
AD Binnenland – Wilders: Van Gogh is in z’n hemd gezet (440674)
DEN HAAG – ‘De elite’ van Nederland heeft Theo van Gogh ‘in zijn hemd gezet’. Dat zegt Geert Wilders, vijf jaar na de moord op de filmer. Als hij de balans opmaakt, komt hij tot de conclusie dat de vrijheid van meningsuiting sindsdien alleen maar verder is ingeperkt.
Fight the Smears: Theo van Gogh opnieuw vermoord!
Propaganda-alert: Alsof één keer een groot mes in je borstkast niet genoeg is, meent de Profiel (KRO) afgelopen zondagavond, nu ook nog een karaktermoord te moeten plegen. De centrale vraag is, waar Theo’s ongebreidelde behoefte aan kwetsen vandaan kwam. Familie, vrienden en vijanden worden geïnterviewd. Allemaal hebben ze wel een verhaal waaruit zou moeten blijken wat een nare, rare, akelige man die Van Gogh eigenlijk wel niet was.
Theo van Gogh amper herdacht « Nieuws
AMSTERDAM – Maandag 2 november wordt in de hoofdstad nauwelijks stil gestaan bij de moord op filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Van Gogh werd in 2004 op brute wijze omgebracht door de extremistische moslim Mohammed B. in de Linnaeusstraat in Amsterdam-Oost.
In dezelfde maand als de val van de Berlijnse Muur, zal Nederland zich moeten herinneren dat het vijf jaar geleden is dat een filmregisseur en columnist door een moslimfanaticus werd vermoord. Schoorvoetend herinneren, dat wel, en zonder poeha. Alsof de moord op Theo van Gogh door Mohammed B. een incident is dat met schaamte, ongemak of onverschilligheid dient te worden behandeld. ’Theo bijna vergeten’ kopte een krant. En als iets nog wordt gememoreerd, is het vooral de provocatieve en nare geest van het slachtoffer, zoals ’KRO-profiel’ onlangs deed. Over de dader, bijna niets. Over de portee van zijn daad, nog minder. Dat Mohammed B. zuiver in de geest van zijn naamgenoot de profeet handelde, is een splijtzwam die beter kan worden verzwegen. Toch delen die twee Mohammeds met elkaar hetzelfde fanatisme, dezelfde onverdraagzaamheid en wreedheid. In die zin is deze moord geen anekdotisch incident maar een openbaring. Achter de kogels en messen van de moordenaar schuilen helaas tal van geloofsgenoten die, volgens peilingen, deze daad als legitiem beschouwen en met instemming hebben begroet.
Je kunt in bepaalde elitekringen de moord op de ’nare’ Van Gogh relativeren, maar het geluid van zijn ineenstorting op de stenen van de Amsterdamse Linnaeusstraat heeft voor velen de klank van de val van een eigen muur.
Joost Niemöller » Die Theo toch
Op de tv en in de bladen en kranten wordt Theo van Gogh herdacht. Vijf jaar alweer. Arthur van Amerongen en Joost Niemöller kunnen niet achterblijven. Er zijn nog zoveel verhalen onverteld gebleven. En zeker het echte verhaal is nooit in kaart gebracht: Wat had Theo nu precies met de islam?
Theo van Gogh en Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Submission | DeJaap
Maandag is het 5 jaar geleden dat de filmmaker en columnist Theo van Gogh werd vermoord door de moslimextremist Mohammed Bouyeri. Belangrijkste aanleiding voor de moord was de korte film Submission, geschreven door Ayaan Hirsi Ali en geregisseerd door Van Gogh. Submission ging in 2004 in première tijdens het programma Zomergasten.
Met Het Oog Op Morgen » Blog Archief » Zaterdag: 5 jaar na de moord op Theo van Gogh
Theo van Gogh werd op dinsdagochtend, 2 november 2004, vermoord door Mohammed B. Vijf jaar later maken we de balans op. Is Nederland fundamenteel veranderd door die schokkende terreurdaad? We leggen het voor aan publiciste Elsbeth Etty, politicoloog Jean Tillie en aan historicus Maarten van Rossem, die bevriend was met Van Gogh.
Wilders ontsluierd @ Argan « Najiba Abdellaoui
Welk effect heeft de PVV op de islamitische gemeenschap en hoe gaan moslims om met de opkomst van Wilders? Wat is wijsheid en in hoeverre kunnen politici met een Marokkaans/islamitische achtergrond de achterban informeren en helpen met het relativeren van het gedachtegoed van Wilders. Ook is het precies 5 jaar na de moord op Theo van Gogh.
Netherlands: How many Bouyeris live in the Netherlands? | allah.eu
Netherlands: How many Bouyeris live in the Netherlands? On November 2nd the Netherlands will mark five years to the murder of Theo van Gogh. The following is a translation of an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, published in Dutch newspaper Het Parool on October 31, 2009, as part of a series of interviews marking the occasion: She didn’t know Theo very well. They had met each other twice, and had many phone conversations, when they worked on Submission
Netherlands: How many Bouyeris live in the Netherlands?
On November 2nd the Netherlands will mark five years to the murder of Theo van Gogh. The following is a translation of an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, published in Dutch newspaper Het Parool on October 31, 2009, as part of a series of interviews marking the occasion:
PAROOL: AMSTERDAM – Hirsi Ali: islamdebat is mislukt
De vrijheid van meningsuiting is in Nederland niet gewaarborgd. De moord op Theo van Gogh, maandag vijf jaar geleden, betekende het failliet van de rechtsstaat. Dat zegt Ayaan Hirsi Ali vandaag in een interview met Het Parool. ”Hij had desnoods tegen zijn wil beschermd moeten worden.”
waar werd oprechter trouw, dan tussen man en vrouw: Vijf Jaar Later
Waar was jij toen je hoorde dat Theo van Gogh vermoord was?
-In die tijd keek ik nog regelmatig op Fok.nl. Wat is er toch veel veranderd. Nou is het allemaal Geenstijl wat de klok slaat.
Ja, maar waar was je?
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